And sure, for the most part, hes right.
After all, if potato salad was called tossed tuber, it wouldnt change its taste.
The fact that Romeo is a Montague and Juliet is a Capuletdoesmatter to their story, despite Romeos pitch.
Growing up, I was one of the lucky ones.
I didnt have too much baggage attached to my name.
Remember when, at rest stops and theme parks, youd look for yours on keychains and other tchotchkes?
I always had trouble finding mine, but when I did, it felt like winning the rest-stop lottery.
I found Alexa H. on Twitter.
Still, she has some bones to pick with Jeff Bezos.
Alexa was a really common name when Amazon picked it.
Couldnt they have picked a name that solved their problem that wasnt a persons name?
Obviously, youre never going to get totally around it.
I actually knew someone named Siri in high school.
Im sure theres someone out there named Echo.
But Alexa is really common.
Since then, itsdropped massively in popularity.
Its rank was 139 in 2019, the lowest its been since 1992.
Meanwhile, the Amazon Alexa only continues to grow in popularity.
For a lot of us, our homes became our workspaces.
Because when they addressed us by name, they accidentally triggered our robot twin.
Every class, someone will be like, My Amazon Alexa is going off!
While those are pandemic-specific phenomena, we human Alexas have been going through the wringer since 2014.
This is our story.
People ask if you wouldnt mind going by a nickname.
Alexa T.s parents named her Alexandra, but it never felt like it fit her.
Shed been going by Allie, but at age 8, adopted Alexa instead.
She saw it in a baby book.
It was a fun experience to pick out my name, she told me.
It wasnt just something I got; it was something I chose.
It felt more personal.
So when Amazon chose her name too, it felt personal.
I thought it was going to be a blip, but it wasnt.
My name was no longer a name.
Its part of a brand.
I got this robot last week… [but] youve knownmefor 20 years!
Alexa L. has had similar experiences with her dance students.
My kids will be like, Can we call you something else?
And Im like, I have to changemyname?
Cant the computer change its name?
I had to let parents know they could change [the robots] name.
Theyd be like Its really annoying, and Id be like, Im sorry?
I didnt pick its name?
(And yes, it is actually quite simple tochange an Amazon devices name.)
Everyone becomes a comedian and they all tell the same joke.
When the Amazon Alexa first came out, Alexa P. was volunteering with a childrens organization.
Like, Alexa, playDespacito, or Alexa, turn out the lights.
Alexa M., a 23-year-old mindset coach living in Tulum, doesnt mind the jokes so much.
Sometimes the jokes add a bit of lightheartedness to meetings, she says.
It functions as a connection point.
The only time it frustrates me is if Im already in a grumpy mood.
If Im already at an emotional capacity and someone cracks a joke Im like,just stop.
And I was like, OK. Thats fine.
Strangers will make demands of you without saying just or thanks.
The assistant holds no power of agency beyond what the commander asks of it.
People would be like Alexa, go get me a drink!
inthatvoice, and it was super degrading, she says.
You get a bunch of (human) Alexas to commiserate with.
I often consider myself part of the last generation of human Alexas.
I dont know many people whod name their children Alexa now in good conscience.
But thats sort of fine.
And it could be worse.
As Alexa L. said to me in our conversation, Just think about all the Karens and Chads.
